The following is a list of questions often asked by screen reader or screen magnifier users who are concerned about accessibility or other issues that affect them. __TOC__ = Extensions = == What are the benefits of Firefox extensions? == Firefox can be customized for your own use. There are numerous free add-ons or "extensions" which can be installed to make browsing work just as you like it. Extensions can do things such as make web pages more accessible or block advertisements that get in the way of accessibility. Some of these add-ons are especially exciting for visually impaired users. == Where do I find these extensions? == You can always browse the entire list of extensions, but not all are accessible. [[T:amo]] == Are there special extensions for visually impaired users? == Yes. There are many extensions and themes of special interest to visually impaired Firefox users. A number of them are described on the helpful site [http://accessfirefox.com/ AccessFirefox.com]. Read on to learn about one very special extension, called WebVisum. == I've heard of the WebVisum extension ... What's the excitement about? == [http://www.webvisum.com/ WebVisum] is a revolutionary extension for visually impaired Firefox users. WebVisum does the following things: * It allows the community to share accessibility "fixes" for web pages, such as labels for graphics and form fields, or more meaningful titles. * Deciphers inaccessible content (for example, it will use OCR on links or buttons that are images and have no ALT text). * Solves CAPTCHAs. Naturally, this is the most talked-about feature. Simply focus on the form field that is for the CAPTCHA solution, and press the WebVisum keystroke of {key Ctrl+6}. The CAPTCHA is then temporarily transferred to the WebVisum server, solved, and the result is placed on your clipboard, ready to be pasted in. * Still more ... and growing. See the [http://www.webvisum.com/ WebVisum] website for up-to-date info. WebVisum is a unique feature for Firefox users, and will most likely never be available for other browsers, as explained by the [http://www.webvisum.com/en/main/faq WebVisum Frequently Asked Questions page]. = Compatibility = == What screen readers or magnifiers are Firefox compatible with? == Firefox is known to work well with lots of screen readers. For more information, see [[Assistive technology compatibility]]. {for mac} == Does Firefox also support VoiceOver on Mac OS X? == The current versions of Firefox do not support the VoiceOver screen reader or the Mac OS accessibility APIs yet. We plan to address OS X support in a future version of Firefox. {/for} = Keyboards = == Will I have to learn new keystrokes to navigate web pages rendered by Firefox? == No. In all above Windows screen readers, navigating inside web pages is the same regardless of the browser. JAWS or Window-Eyes Quick Navigation keys, for example, all work the same in Firefox as they would in IE. Check your screen reader's documentation on keystroke references for navigating virtual buffers. Here is one exception, where there is a difference with other browsers: * {key Ctrl}+{key L} is used to move to the Location bar to open an internet address (URL), whereas {key Ctrl}+{key O} is used to open a local file through a standard File Open dialog box. == What are the keyboard shorcuts? == Firefox offers full, convenient keyboard and screen reader access to its features. Here are some specific examples: * {key {for win, linux}Ctrl{/for}{for mac}command{/for}}+{key L}, followed by {key Shift}+{key Tab}, to immediately hear the most relevant security/encryption info. This allows you to learn whether the website you're about to enter your valued data is secure, or if you are in danger of falling victim to a web forgery attack. * {key {for win, linux}Ctrl{/for}{for mac}command{/for}}+{key &#43;} to zoom a page larger, and {key {for win, linux}Ctrl{/for}{for mac}command{/for}}+{key -} to unzoom. * {key {for win, linux}Ctrl{/for}{for mac}command{/for}}+{key K} will focus the quick search bar, where you can enter text to search the web using your favorite search engine (default is Google). The search engine can be changed by pressing {key {for win, linux}Alt{/for}{for mac}Opt{/for}}+{key Down arrow} in the quick search bar. * Type some keywords or parts of words into the address bar to find a bookmark or page you've visited. At any point, use the down arrow to explore the list of matches. The system is great at knowing what you want, including learning which match(es) are your preferred ones for the text you typed. The next time you type the same thing, items you've chosen before will be higher in the list. You can also add tags or a keyword to bookmarks to make finding previously visited pages even easier. More keyboard navigation features are described in [[Keyboard shortcuts]]. = Browsers = == Can I keep my other browser installed? == Yes. Firefox will not interfere with any other software on your system. You can continue to run any other browser, even at the same time in another window. == How can I change my default browser? == See [[How to make Firefox the default browser]]{for win} or (ouch!) [http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Internet-Explorer-Your-Default-Internet-Browser How to make Internet Explorer your default browser]{/for}. {for win} = Common JAWS questions = == JAWS is working slightly differently with web pages Firefox than with IE. Which version of JAWS should I use? == JAWS 7.x, 8.x and 9.x all work with Firefox. However, JAWS 10 has the most polished support. JAWS 10 has added many improvements to Firefox and Thunderbird support. This includes better support for editing and improvements to the virtual buffer support for web pages, making it virtually identical to what is provided for IE. As an example, JAWS 9 tended to combine lines of text together in the virtual buffer, but only in Firefox, but in JAWS 10, these kinds of troublesome differences with IE support have vanished. == Why doesn't the JAWS Find command work in JAWS 7.x or JAWS 8.x? == JAWS 8.0 has a known problem that the JAWS Find command or Speak Address Bar commands do not work as expected. To get things working, edit the file {filepath Confignames.ini}, which is located in your Shared Settings folder. To open this folder, go to {menu Start Menu}, then {menu Programs}, then {menu JAWS 8.0}, then {menu Explore JAWS}, and {menu Explore Shared Settings}. Note on Windows Vista/7, before pressing {key Enter}, press the {key Applications} key and choose {menu Run as Administrator}. Edit the file using NotePad, and add the line: <code>firefox3.0=firefox</code> to the end of the file. Save the file, and when you next start Firefox, the shortcuts will be available. This change must be made in the Shared file. An override in your user specific path will not work. == How do I copy HTML to the clipboard? == JAWS 9.0 offers a feature in Internet Explorer to copy not the virtual buffer text of a page, but the real HTML content, as if you had selected the text using the mouse on the screen. Unfortunately, Freedom Scientific has not yet implemented this feature for Firefox. If you need to copy text from a web page including formatting, there is a workaround you can use that is a combination of JAWS functions and Firefox's Caret Browsing feature. The steps are as follows: #Navigate to the beginning of the text you want to copy using the virtual cursor. #Press {key JawsKey + -} to route the JAWS cursor to the PC cursor. #Left click on the text using {key /}. #Turn Virtual PC Cursor back on. #Press {key JawsKey}+{key Z} to turn off Virtual Cursor support temporarily. #Press {key F7} to turn on Caret Browsing. Note that you can turn this on permanently by going to the {button Firefox} button (menu {menu Tools} on Windows XP and Firefox 3.6 and below), selecting {menu Options}, then {menu Advanced page}, then {menu General tab}, and under Accessibility, enabling the checkbox labelled "Always use the cursor keys to navigate within pages". #Using {key Shift}+{key Arrows}, select the text you would like to copy. #Press {key Ctrl}+{key C} to copy as usual. #Press {key JawsKey}+{key Z} to turn Virtual Cursor back on when done. The text is now stored on the clipboard with formatting and font information, colors etc. {/for} = Where can I get help if I need it? = [/kb/ask Ask your question here]. In addition, we're available on the [irc://irc.mozilla.org#accessibility #accessibility channel on irc.mozilla.org].

The following is a list of questions often asked by screen reader or screen magnifier users who are concerned about accessibility or other issues that affect them.

Extensions

What are the benefits of Firefox extensions?

Firefox can be customized for your own use. There are numerous free add-ons or "extensions" which can be installed to make browsing work just as you like it. Extensions can do things such as make web pages more accessible or block advertisements that get in the way of accessibility. Some of these add-ons are especially exciting for visually impaired users.

Where do I find these extensions?

You can always browse the entire list of extensions, but not all are accessible. In addition, there may be third-party Firefox extensions that can help you. For more information on searching for and installing extensions, see Find and install add-ons to add features to Firefox.

Are there special extensions for visually impaired users?

Yes. There are many extensions and themes of special interest to visually impaired Firefox users. A number of them are described on the helpful site AccessFirefox.com.

Read on to learn about one very special extension, called WebVisum.

I've heard of the WebVisum extension ... What's the excitement about?

WebVisum is a revolutionary extension for visually impaired Firefox users. WebVisum does the following things:

• It allows the community to share accessibility "fixes" for web pages, such as labels for graphics and form fields, or more meaningful titles.
• Deciphers inaccessible content (for example, it will use OCR on links or buttons that are images and have no ALT text).
• Solves CAPTCHAs. Naturally, this is the most talked-about feature. Simply focus on the form field that is for the CAPTCHA solution, and press the WebVisum keystroke of Ctrl + 6. The CAPTCHA is then temporarily transferred to the WebVisum server, solved, and the result is placed on your clipboard, ready to be pasted in.
• Still more ... and growing. See the WebVisum website for up-to-date info.

WebVisum is a unique feature for Firefox users, and will most likely never be available for other browsers, as explained by the WebVisum Frequently Asked Questions page.

Compatibility

What screen readers or magnifiers are Firefox compatible with?

Firefox is known to work well with lots of screen readers. For more information, see Assistive technology compatibility.

Keyboards

Will I have to learn new keystrokes to navigate web pages rendered by Firefox?

No. In all above Windows screen readers, navigating inside web pages is the same regardless of the browser. JAWS or Window-Eyes Quick Navigation keys, for example, all work the same in Firefox as they would in IE. Check your screen reader's documentation on keystroke references for navigating virtual buffers.

Here is one exception, where there is a difference with other browsers:

• Ctrl+L is used to move to the Location bar to open an internet address (URL), whereas Ctrl+O is used to open a local file through a standard File Open dialog box.

What are the keyboard shorcuts?

Firefox offers full, convenient keyboard and screen reader access to its features. Here are some specific examples:

• Ctrlcommand+L, followed by Shift+Tab, to immediately hear the most relevant security/encryption info. This allows you to learn whether the website you're about to enter your valued data is secure, or if you are in danger of falling victim to a web forgery attack.
• Ctrlcommand++ to zoom a page larger, and Ctrlcommand+- to unzoom.
• Ctrlcommand+K will focus the quick search bar, where you can enter text to search the web using your favorite search engine (default is Google). The search engine can be changed by pressing AltOpt+Down arrow in the quick search bar.
• Type some keywords or parts of words into the address bar to find a bookmark or page you've visited. At any point, use the down arrow to explore the list of matches. The system is great at knowing what you want, including learning which match(es) are your preferred ones for the text you typed. The next time you type the same thing, items you've chosen before will be higher in the list. You can also add tags or a keyword to bookmarks to make finding previously visited pages even easier.

More keyboard navigation features are described in Keyboard shortcuts - Perform common Firefox tasks quickly.

Browsers

Can I keep my other browser installed?

Yes. Firefox will not interfere with any other software on your system. You can continue to run any other browser, even at the same time in another window.

How can I change my default browser?

See Make Firefox your default browser or (ouch!) How to make Internet Explorer your default browser.

Where can I get help if I need it?

Ask your question here. In addition, we're available on the #accessibility channel on irc.mozilla.org.